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User talk:Mdsussman
Identity I'm afraid you're going to have to provide us with some proof as to your identity. In addition, please do not "sign" your additions to articles. -- Michael Warren | ''Talk'' 19:37, 21 May 2005 (UTC) :For the moment, I can be reached via private message through the boards at TrekBBS.com. My user name is MikeSussman and I have been verified by the staff there. Feel free to private message me there and I'll confirm that this is, in fact, me. :) --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 20:15, 21 May 2005 (UTC) ::I tried PMing you at TrekBBS, but apparently your private messages have been disabled. I would be obliged if you could either set your preferences to allow private messages (under My Home and "edit personal information") or send me a message there; my account name is "Smoke Detector." Thanks, and welcome! -- SmokeDetector47 // ''talk'' 21:18, 21 May 2005 (UTC) welcome --Captain Mike K. Barteltalk 20:50, 21 May 2005 (UTC) Ok, my PMs seem to working over at the TrekBBS, if you need to message me for confirmation.Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 17:19, 25 May 2005 (UTC) Welcome to Memory Alpha from a DS9 fan. -- Rebel Strike 17:50, 25 May 2005 (UTC) :It's great to see someone from the Trek writing staff here at Memory Alpha. Welcome! Ottens 18:02, 25 May 2005 (UTC) Thanks, everyone. Great to be here. As Q promised, I'll drop in from "time to time." ;) Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 18:04, 25 May 2005 (UTC) : Just for the record, I received a message from Mr. Sussman thru the TrekBBS... he is who he says he is. ;) Welcome again! -- SmokeDetector47 // ''talk'' 18:30, 25 May 2005 (UTC) : Cool. I thought it was someone playing a joke. I've always wondered if the Star Trek writers visited Memory Alpha. -- Rebel Strike 18:37, 25 May 2005 (UTC) Yah but he only wrote for two of the worst Star Trek Series produced. Sorry Sussman I am brutally honest with my opinion. --TOSrules 02:30, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) :Ah, yes, and fortunately, that's all it is... one little outspoken TOS fan's opinion. :P --From Andoria with Love 04:31, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) :: Yep, I believe in respecting other's opinion, as far as I know I am the only repetitive of the Hardcore TOSers here. I could be wrong. --TOSrules 06:26, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::: Whoa, whoa, don't get me wrong. I believe everyone's entitled to their opinion. I just didn't necessarily agree with it, so I made what I thought to be a little joke. Sorry if I offended. For the record, though, I am a hardcore everything... from TOS to the movies to the TNG era to ENT. :) --From Andoria with Love 08:15, 13 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::: Well I don't worry, I don't offended easily. I just think it is good that we have a TOS purest here. I believe if there is ever to be trek that attracts all fans, someone like me is needed. --TOSrules 19:22, 13 Oct 2005 (UTC) redshirt i heard you got to play a dead redshirt -- which scene was it? were you one of the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) personnel ? -- Captain Mike K. Barteltalk I am seen as a redshirt in "IAMD Pt. 2". You can't make out my face, though... I'm laying on the deck facing away from camera, my head is hidden by a bulkhead. There was a longer shot our director Martin Rush did where you could see me much more clearly, but it was cut for time. So much for my 15 minutes... --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:02, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC) *Might not fit the description exactly, but worth a try: is the image recently added to your page (Mike Sussman) or just click here, you? - AJHalliwell 01:33, 1 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::Sorry, not me. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:54, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) Susmana Welcome to MA indeed! I was wondering, is Susmana, the Vulcan fighting style from ENT: "Marauders" named after you? Sure sounds like it, but thought I'd try to confirm. - AJHalliwell 21:59, 15 Jul 2005 (UTC) Yes, that was Co-EP Chris Black's idea. It's actually spelled "Suusmahna" in the script. There's probably an apostrophe in there somewhere, too. I returned the favor by naming an Evil Admiral after him in "In a Mirror Darkly." --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 18:32, 23 Jul 2005 (UTC) Klingon battle cruiser Hello, I was curious if there was any chance you would write a bit more of a first hand account of the situation with the D7 class/K't'inga class mistake from VOY: "Prophecy", rather than having the 3rd or 4th hand account version that currently exist on both pages. Thanks! --Alan del Beccio 16:17, 18 Sep 2005 (UTC) I pretty much explained the discrepancy to the best of my knowledge here: Everlasting Klingon Battlecruiser --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 02:01, 22 Sep 2005 (UTC) Mike Sussman?? Holy crap, Mike Sussman is a member of Memory Alpha?! And I'm only now finding this out??!! Dude, you rock!!! At the risk of sounding like a butt-kisser, I love all of your writing work, especially "Meld", "Twilight" and "In a Mirror, Darkly" (I guess those are everyone's favorites, right? :P), and you also did a fantastic job as producer for Enterprise. It majorly sucks that it was cancelled, but I hope that when (not if) a new series comes around, they'll bring you on board. Anyways, I wish you a belated welcome to Memory Alpha and I hope to see you around from time to time. Enjoy! :) See you... out there! --From Andoria with Love 09:25, 1 Oct 2005 (UTC) :Not if I see you out there first. :P Thanks for the warm welcome. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 16:05, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::You're welcome. :) (Actually, I just realized you were here nearly a month ahead of me, so it would have been a belated welcome any way you slice it, lol!) --From Andoria with Love 22:06, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) Coalition? Welcome to Memory Alpha. Do you know whether the writers of Star Trek: Enterprise meant for there to be an organization, such as the Coalition of Planets, at the end of the series or if the first interplanetary alliance was the Federation? That issue has been a long-standing dispute here at MA. It would be extremely helpful if you could clarify the writers' intent. --Defiant | ''Talk'' 11:42, 2 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I think the dispute comes from Troi's line at the end of "These Are the Voyages...", in which she tells Riker that the ceremony they were witnessing on the holodeck would "give birth to the Federation." Yet many have wanted to believe that the ceremony was the founding of the Federation, which would seem to go against Troi's remark. So, yes, if you could shed some light on which is the case, it would be very helpful. :) --From Andoria with Love 02:06, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::As I see it, there are two organizations in question. The Coalition of Planets that was formed at the end of "Terra Prime," and the "alliance" Troi mentions at the end of "These are the Voyages...," which obviously refers to the Federation. Troi's line about "this alliance" giving birth to the Federation was odd. I noted this before the episode was shot and suggested the line be changed, but it never was. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 02:15, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::I always figured it meant something along the lines of "this primitive, proto-Federation that they're signing into existence now will eventually give birth to the Federation as we know it." But the use of 'give birth' is odd, even in that context. So I don't know. Never mind.--70.16.32.217 18:01, 11 March 2006 (UTC) ::::I just took it as that a few months later, it went from the alliance to becoming the Federation or something. --WTRiker 01:13, 8 February 2007 (UTC) :::::However, I prefer the explanation in The Good That Men Do. For those who have not read it, I won't say any more. --WTRiker February 2007 I have read it, but I didn't buy the writers' explanation of what "really" happened. It was far too unlikely that people thought for centuries that a minor event which took place in 2155 was actually a major event which took place in 2161. Still, an interesting read. --From Andoria with Love 04:12, 11 August 2007 (UTC) Pictures The pictures are really fabulous! (big redshirt fan) -- Captain Mike K. Barteltalk 22:14, 3 Oct 2005 (UTC) :On a more business-like note, in accordance with the site's policy, i've added a tag to the pictures stating they were submitted by you and that the copyright is yours, basically that if anyone wants to save or reuse them, they'll have to seek permission. If there's ever any details you'd like to add, feel free to add them to those files or their discussion pages. -- Captain Mike K. Barteltalk 22:47, 3 Oct 2005 (UTC) Glad you guys like 'em. On a side note, the redshirt identified as me in the USS Defiant (NCC-1764) personnel article isn't me! Although we bear a striking resemblance to each other (Scott Bakula actually mistook this guy for me on the set... as Clark Kent discovered, the glasses really do make a difference). Sadly, during my cameo in the finished episode (In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II), I was face-down. :::What is the device seen in this image? And how is it described/named in the script? --Defiant | ''Talk'' 02:14, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::::It's simply described as a "viewer" in the script. Not very sexy, is it? --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 02:21, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::::LOL! No, but thanks for that snippet of information. :) --Defiant | ''Talk'' 02:28, 4 Oct 2005 (UTC) Vulcan Starships Maybe you can help me out on this. Was there any special reason the Surak class Vulcan ships like the Ni'Var disappeared after the first season and replaced with a new type of Vulcan ship like the Seleya from the second season on? The new design certainly looks nice and is a bit more detailed but I didn't think there was really anything wrong with the first design. (By contrast, they were absolutely right to discard the anachronistic Klingon ship after "Unexpected") Did someone just not like the first ship? --T smitts 00:44, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) :You know, I really have no idea. This would probably be a question for our visual effects team. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:56, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::Yeah, I thought as much. Unfortunately there's too many of them hanging around here. I do have a couple of more appropriate questions: ::1) Were there any 4th season characters (V'Las, Kuvak, Valdore, Jhamel, etc.) you would have liked to bring back had it gone on for a 5th season? :::Well, for my part, I wanted to bring back T'Les, but she was killed off because, among other reasons, we couldn't afford her in part three of the Vulcan trilogy. I did want to meet T'Pol's father in Season 5... and find out that he was Romulan! --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:16, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::2) A couple of artciles here claim that Manny Coto wanted to put Shran permanently on the ship and make Jeffrey Combs a regular. Do you have any idea if there really was talk of that? ::Thanks.--T smitts 01:06, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::Yeah, Manny really wanted Shran on the ship full-time. Since Shran lost the Kumari and possibly suffered some measure of disgrace, it would have made sense, story-wise. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:16, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::::Indeed. I would have loved to see him every week too and would definately change the dynamic between him and Archer (you can't really call your commanding officer "pink-skin", can you?) But what do you suppose he might have done on the ship? Tactical, I suppose would be the best fit, but that's taken of course. What do you think? --T smitts 01:29, 6 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::::Archer should've given Shran a job he would've hated, just to put him in his place. Maybe Quartermaster. :P --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 16:04, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::::::I, for one, think making him a quartermaster would be a very, very bad idea, worse than encountering clocking technology or the Ferengi in the 22nd century. However, I do love the idea of Shran becoming a member of the crew. *sigh* Damn you, UPN!!! --From Andoria with Love 21:39, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) Featured Article nomination Thanks for your comment, it's extremely appreciated. :) Any ideas for the next synopsis? --Defiant | ''Talk'' 14:55, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) :Hmm. I was hoping someone would eventually take a crack at a more in-depth look at Twilight. There's lots of background info in the StarTrek.com podcast we did recently. Author, Author might be another candidate -- a tough episode to write but I thought it turned out nicely. Just a few ideas. BTW, you and Shran did a great job with the Mirror Darkly synopsis. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 16:00, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::Thanks! Not to brag, but I also wrote the synopsis for TATV. You know, before it had to be hacked down. But some of what I did is still there! So, what do you think, do I have what it takes to be a writer? I have some great ideas about who the Future Guy might be and how to resolve the Temporal Cold War, and... and... AAAGH! (PS: Relax, I'm just joking, lol!) --From Andoria with Love 21:43, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::Yes, Shran provided invaluable assistance. :::Mdsussman, maybe you could explain what you think is good about the episode article, "These Are the Voyages...", as your comment on the Nominations page has been interpreted as too personal. Also, in the future, I would advise that any comments you make in support or opposition of featured article nominations are specifically about the article in question, so that a similar situation doesn't arise. --Defiant | ''Talk'' 00:07, 8 Oct 2005 (UTC) Cloaking techonology I read in one of your interviews with Star Trek: Communicator (Issue 139) that you were against the NX-01 encountering cloaking technology in their voyages, having already done so with the Suliban and the Xyrillians, since that would go against Kirk and Spock's conversation in "Balance of Terror". (I agreed with you on that whole-heartedly, by the way.) Well, as you well know, the Enterprise would go on to encounter a Romulan bird-of-prey with cloaking capabilities, despite the technology evidently being brand-spanking new for the Romulans in 2266. Could you please tell me why this error was not spotted and corrected before the episode went into production? Also, do you have any speculation or beliefs as to why Kirk and Spock were unaware of the existence of the Romulan cloaking device when the NX-01 had encountered it a century prior? As you know, this has been the subject of much debate for a while, so any information you could divulge would certainly be helpful. Thanks in advance! :) --From Andoria with Love 22:02, 7 Oct 2005 (UTC) :If you look at the last paragraph of the Cloaking device article, you'll get the totality of my opinion on the subject. Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:35, 28 August 2006 (UTC) Best character Looking over the episodes you wrote/co-wrote, I started to wonder: Which of the characters in stories you worked on (in other words, of the characters you essentially created) is your favorite?--T smitts 06:05, 8 Oct 2005 (UTC) :If I can claim credit for "creating" the Mirror Universe versions of the NX-01 crew, I'd go with those as my favorites. Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:26, 28 August 2006 (UTC) In a Mirror, Darkly, Part... III I read that you'll be writing a sequel to the Mirror universe episodes (or have already) in novel form. Any plans to write other ENT novels in the future? (The possibilities are mind boggling) Hm, any plans to use MA in researching it? That would be interesting. - AJHalliwell 02:08, 10 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I'm sure I'll consult MA. As for future works, I'll have to see how this one goes before planning any more. :P --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:42, 11 Oct 2005 (UTC) "Twilight" Thanks for recommending the commentary! I had to laugh when I listened to one bit. You were talking about T'Pol brushing Archer's hair like a Vulcan's You're right, it's so in keeping with her character! Anyway, you seem like a great writer and "Twilight" is definately one of the best episodes ever. I think you suggested writing an episode summary for it. How would you react if the Act sections were as small as the ones in "Broken Bow"? The majority of the community seems to prefer smaller summaries than the ones I've already done. Anyway, keep writing great stories as I love your work. --Defiant | ''Talk'' 00:13, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I don't know about Mr. Sussman, but I think Defiant should write as much as he wants. We've firmly established that length is not part of the criteria for a quality article. I know, nobody asked my opinion, but I had to think of an excuse to drop in and say hi when I saw who it was. Can't say I'm a fan of your work (I haven't seen any of it), but it's definitely cool to have you on MA. :) --Schrei 02:48, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::I don't really have a preference, long vs. short. What I really look for, from a writerly POV, are the hyperlinks; for example, Trip mentions that he uses a TECH-spanner to fix something, and there's a link to a TECH-spanner, and all the times it's been mentioned, and in which episodes. Again, from a writer's perspective, that's what I find most useful about MA. :) --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 15:22, 12 Oct 2005 (UTC) :::Yup. It's all part and parcel of our attempts at building the web. :) --From Andoria with Love 08:18, 13 Oct 2005 (UTC) Glen Hambly Could you help me? I have written the article on actor Glen Hambly, but the info about his appearances on Trek are from IMDb, so I'm not sure whether or not they are correct. I'm not sure how well you knew the background actors on the set, but could you tell me which episodes Hambly did appear in? Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks! :) --From Andoria with Love 12:53, 16 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I'm afraid I didn't really know Mr. Hambly. Probably a question for our casting people. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 15:13, 16 Oct 2005 (UTC) ::Ah, okay. Thank you anyway. :) --From Andoria with Love 07:12, 17 Oct 2005 (UTC) TOS Aliens One of "Enterprise"'s proudest distinctions, in my opinion, was resurrecting aliens not seen since the original series (including the Tholians and the Gorn in your work "Future Tense" and "In a Mirror, Darkly" I wonder if there were any other long-forgotten aliens you considered bringing back somehow (i.e. the Talosians). --T smitts 07:47, 17 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I think we saw most of the MIA aliens we'd wanted to update. To my knowledge, no one on the writing staff was pitching Talosian stories. It would've been nice to spend a hypothetical Season 5 fleshing out the Orions, the Andorians, and the Tellarites, and getting deeper into Vulcan politics. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 21:21, 18 Oct 2005 (UTC) I really felt they took to many liberties with TOS aliens. I would have kept it a suit, making it more convincing, while paying close attention to TOS details. Gorn are after all a slow creature according to Captain Kirk --TOSrules 23:31, 18 Oct 2005 (UTC) :I respectfully disagree. I'm not sure what "liberties" you speak of since most of these aliens had scarcely been established on the original series. I'm quite happy with how each of the TOS aliens turned out, including the Gorn. Though it IS possible to create a great-looking alien/monster suit (check out Mr. Hyde in the very underrated film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) I suspect the time budget constraints of a TV episode compared to a movie probably wouldn't have made that possible. (Remember, they also almost certainly spent a good chunk of that episode's budget recreating sets for the Defiant.) It's possible the Gorn that Archer fought was younger and/or in better shape than the one Kirk fought. :That said, it's for that reason I was excited to see so many TOS aliens on the series and wanted to see more. I think the producers finally understood that for fans, seeing "TNG"-era aliens like the Ferengi or the Borg wasn't half as exciting as updating aliens not seen since the original series and why I thought a few more would be neat, such as the afore-mentioned Talosians, maybe a Mugato, or an Efrosian (yes, I know that last one came from the movies but they obviously become a important Federation member, since one later becomes President). --T smitts 15:38, 19 Oct 2005 (UTC) birthday Is it June 22?--172.191.85.198 04:09, 7 Jan 2006 (UTC) IRC Chat Hey, Mike. I was wondering if you could grace us with your presence from time to time over at our IRC channel? It would be great to chat with someone who was actually a part of the productions. To find out more about IRC, you can visit this page; to head straight to the channel's portal, however, just click here. I hope to see you there soon. :) --From Andoria with Love 23:38, 8 February 2006 (UTC) :Thanks for the invite. I'll try to drop by sometime. :) --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 02:50, 12 February 2006 (UTC) Chicago Mobs... * Not to contradict you, as you probably have a better idea about this than we do, but regarding your comment on ECS Horizon about the Chicago Mobs the Twenties...our analysis of the screencap showed that it actually said something more along the lines of "Chicago Gangs..." Granted this is really splitting hairs, but I just wanted to present that observation to you. --Alan del Beccio 02:51, 12 February 2006 (UTC) ::You're absolutely right. I just looked at the DVD. I recalled seeing the book on the set and assumed it had the same title. My goof. I'll modify what I wrote. (You'd think these Hollywood types would do their damn research.) :P --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 03:07, 12 February 2006 (UTC) :::Thanks! Guess it's up to us uber fan boys to keep you on toes. ;) --Alan DelBeccio Budgeting Not sure if you'll know and i can understand that you probably dont like being pesterd, but do you know how much on average it cost to produce an episode of star trek?--Mafeu 19:32, 14 February 2006 (UTC) E^2 Mr. Sussman, I thank you for your comments on E^2 elaborating on why it seemed like a rip off of Children of Time. Frankly, the original idea of Columbia doing this would actually have seemed enjoyable. I mean, the direction of the episode was just "I am Lorian....And....(shockers)....I am the adult child of two main cast members!"...while we were all sitting there going "...this isn't a big shock, it's been done before", etc. As I've said before, what Rick Berman calls "franchise fatigue" is really "some fans have been loyal enough to watch for 5 years straight and can remember when we recycle old plot lines". Evil Alien Nazis? You know why we hated that? Because it's been done three times before!...and we spent ALL of seasons 2 and 3 complaining that old plots were getting recycled. Killing Game, anyone? Mr. Sussman, I am better known as "The Merovingian"; I help run BattlestarWiki, the Battlestar Galactica analog of Memory Alpha, and I also run the official BSG messageboard with an iron fist. Frankly, unlike some people I could mention, you actually are NOT living in a bubble, but seem to actually care about what fans think (given that TATV gave NO character growth, it was nice that in IAMD you gave us the futures of Hoshi and Archer. You have no idea how much karma this had earned). Mr. Sussman, don't you think it's time you switched over to Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica? Most BSG fans are not TOS BSG fans, but are in fact the disgruntled Star Trek fans that left the series in disgust at what Bermanga had done to it (B&B advertise a prequel series, then defiantly state that they refuse to do prequel storylines? When they were thrown out in Season 4, it rocked). Mr. Sussman I implore you; it would be a great opportunity and your work would be respected if you tried to get involved with BattlestarGalactica. I mean, RDM's policy is to actually allow the cast and writers to contribue their own ideas, properly develop minor characters, etc. And the whole team really hates falling into cliches. (Another parting shot: great idea for the end of TATV with that ending monologue; Bermanga seriously wanted to end with just "computer, end program?". Look, fans aren't fools; we all know that there is no way Rick Berman is going to be heading Trek film #11, and the only reason he keeps making up his own scripts and circulating rumors that major studios are interested in it is because he's trying to save face; he doesn't want people to realize that he's practically been fired. Did you know that we burn these guys in effigy at conventions? Well...we burn them in spirit, not literally, but you know what I mean. Please sir, I implore you; Your work would be respected at Battlestar Galactica. --Ricimer 13:52, 1 March 2006 (UTC) :A switch to BSG might be a good move, but I say we first focus our attentions at getting CBS to begin producting Enterprise Season Five. Who's with me?! :D --From Andoria with Love 01:44, 2 March 2006 (UTC) ::While its great to expound upon the possibilities of what could have been on Star Trek, or what could be in the future, I kind of have a problem with anti-Berman/Braga rhetoric -- on the merits of good work they have done for Trek in the past, I'd be satisfied with not really "running their names through the mud" by speculating as to their intentions, especially when on the talk page of a former coworker of theirs. ITs a lot more politic to say that they were in charge when some bad decisions/results were made, than to go ahead and characterize them as a unified monsterish persona named "bermanga" who is being burnt in effigy. ::I know that if Mr. Sussman ever wanted to work with them again, he'd probably have an easier time of it if we could keep our statements about Rick and Brannon to be factual and informative, rather than speculative and derogatory. (I know that I'd hate to go to work with someone who has talked to others about burning me in effigy)... at the very least on (user talk:Ricimer) another page ::To Mr. Sussman I'd say that I agree, he is a talented fellow who i'd love to see contribute to BSG, i'm even more looking forward to following his career in Trek novels. -- Captain M.K. Barteltalk 04:19, 2 March 2006 (UTC) :Thanks for the vote of confidence. Galactica's my favorite show on TV right now -- how about that season 2 ender, huh? Mind blowing. Problem with writing for a show is your enjoyment of it is affected. You're intimately involved with nearly every story. So I'm more than happy to watch Galactica from the sidelines, spoiler-free, enjoying it along with everyone else. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 04:21, 12 March 2006 (UTC) Do you think you might ever write or contribute to a behind-the-scenes book about Trek? Your posts here are really informative and provide great insight into what went on during production of Enterprise? --Defiant | ''Talk'' 12:47, 12 March 2006 (UTC) :I'd be happy to be interviewed for such a book, but I can't see myself writing one. My contributions to MA will have to suffice. :) Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:23, 28 August 2006 (UTC) NX-01 Caps Hello, Could you please tell me if you know if its possible to purchase NX-01 caps (Seen in Strange new world and Shuttlepod One) and if so do you know where. Thanks --Mafeu 12:45, 28 April 2006 (UTC) :Sorry, don’t know. Maybe try eBay. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 18:16, 28 April 2006 (UTC) Ushaan recognition Just thought I'd post this here, http://www.io.com/~sjohn/ushaan.htm < the writer of "Among the Clans" thanks ya for the tip of the hat, and has a 'if Mike Sussman ever stumbles onto this page...' - AJ Halliwell 06:30, 6 August 2006 (UTC) On Mirror Universes and Defiants Greetings! A couple of us, including Shran, were discussing about the power of the USS Defiants in the Mirror Universe. In Deep Space Nine, the Defiant paves the way for the return of power for the Terran Empire. introduces the Constitution-class Defiant as the ship that paves the way for overall power for the Terran Empire at the beginning. Thus it seems that: *All known Defiants in our universe seem to like to have an impact on the Mirror Universe. *Defiant = Terran power. We were just curious if thoughts of the impact of what was mentioned above were thought of when you wrote the In a Mirror, Darkly two-parter (On a side note, I loved those two episodes :P). Thanks! - Enzo Aquarius 17:18, 23 August 2006 (UTC) :Glad you liked the episodes. They were probably the most fun to write in my five years at Star Trek. As for the two Defiants, I thought it was a neat little coincidence that two Federation starships with the same name played pivotal roles in the MU. Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:17, 28 August 2006 (UTC) Briar Patch/Klach D'Kel Brakt I was wondering if you could shed some light on this, as we have discussed this without coming to a clear conclusion in the end. (see: Talk:Briar Patch) In "The Augments", was the Briar Patch (or Klach D'Kel Brakt) that Arik Soong mentions supposed to be the same Briar Patch as the one seen in Star Trek: Insurrection? Thanks for your insight, it is greatly appreciated! :-) --Jörg 10:29, 27 August 2006 (UTC) :I've been reading all the comments in Talk:Briar Patch with some interest, as well as a little amusement and confusion. Yes, it was definitely supposed to be the same Briar Patch. I agree that there are some interesting arguments against Soong's Briar Patch being the same Briar Patch as Picard's. I take it there is no controversy over whether or not there is only one Klach D'Kel Brakt? However I do think there are a few unfounded assumptions being made -- some of them are interesting and perfectly possible, but assumptions nevertheless in my opinion. :There was a deleted scene in Insurrection that I consulted when writing The Augments. I didn't realize until later that the scene was cut from the final film, but I did use it to inform Soong's dialogue. This is part of the cut scene, set in Picard's quarters: PICARD (CONT'D) I've been going over the few star charts we have of this "Briar Patch". It's full of supernova remnants, false vacuum fluctuations... Riker looks at the star chart, brushes it off... RIKER ... and gorgonzolla cheese. PICARD We won't be able to go any faster than one-third impulse in that muck... RIKER (handing him the PADD) Nothing dangerous turned up in the astrometric survey... PICARD So where are the 'environmental concerns' the Admiral was talking about? RIKER (shrugs) The only unusual readings were low levels of metaphasic radiation from interstellar dust across the region... WORF'S COM VOICE Bridge to Captain Picard. We are approaching sector four-four-one. PICARD Slow to impulse. We're on our way. Picard leads the way out... 37 EXT. SPACE - THE BRIAR PATCH - (OPTICAL) 37 The edge of the dangerous and beautiful region... moving to find the Enterprise approaching at impulse... :That the Briar Patch was a "region" comprised of "interstellar dust" and "supernova remnants" (I gave Picard's description almost word-for-word to Soong) suggested to me it was larger than a system-wide phenomenon. Also, Picard telling Worf to "slow to impulse" after Worf reports "we're approaching sector 441" sounds to me like the Patch is possibly a sector-wide phenomenon spanning many light-years (if one accepts the semi-canonical definition of a sector being 20 light years in length). :Now, I know this Insurrection scene is at best apocryphal as it was cut from the finished film -- however I did want to be consistent with what writer Michael Piller intended, and his apparent intention was that the Patch was larger than a single solar system. :As for the concern about traversing an area this wide at 1/3 impulse... some other posters have some interesting solutions. Maybe the Ba'ku planet is close to "the edge." Frankly, Star Trek in all of its incarnations has many head-scratching astronomical goofs. I tried to make as few of them as possible in my own episodes. And if you do find one of those discrepancies in one of my episodes -- *cough* "Future Tense" *cough* -- it was probably put in over my objection. :Two Briar Patches? Pffft, I say. To quote Highlander: "There can be only one!" :Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 17:31, 27 August 2006 (UTC) Thank you very much for the reply! First we lose Pluto, causing lots of discussion and then we have two Briar Patches all of a sudden, something was wrong here, I guess. But thanks for (hopefully) settling this discussion. ;-) --Jörg 17:50, 27 August 2006 (UTC) :No problem. I enjoy these sorts of discussions as long as they don't degenerate into name calling and nastiness. I think your Pluto analogy is dead-on: if you closely read the arguments suggesting there are two Briar Patches, then there should logically be two Klach D'Kel Brakts. One gas cloud magically becomes four! :Next thing you know, Pluto's moon will become a planet, too. :Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 18:18, 27 August 2006 (UTC) ::Thanks for your comments and insight! I am curious though ... why would there be two Klach D'Kel Brakts? - DSG2k 20:01, 27 August 2006 (UTC) :::Obviously because we can't really be sure that one "Klach D'Kel Brakt" is the same as another "Klach D'Kel Brakt" if we can't be sure that one "Briar Patch" is the same as another "Briar Patch" - this is what I already implied with my earlier comment on Talk:Briar Patch, and I suggest that we move back the discussion about it to that talk page. By the way, thanks for your confirmation, Mike, and for your insightful additions to Memory Alpha in general. :) -- Cid Highwind 20:43, 27 August 2006 (UTC) ::::My pleasure. Now if someone can explain why there are two USS Melbourne's at the Battle of Wolf 359? *sigh* Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 23:51, 27 August 2006 (UTC) :::::I've always assumed that the Excelsior class USS Melbourne was named after the city and the Nebula class USS Lord Melbourne could be named after the person. maybe i'll get a chance to publish this idea someday -- Captain M.K.B. 04:13, 28 August 2006 (UTC) ::::::In response to the Melbourne dillema, I've always liked the theory that there were two because the Excelsior class one was being decommissioned and the Nebula was replacing it, but to counter to Borg the Excelsior was also called to help; alternatively, there could be 2 because they're from 2 different eras (1 {presumably} late TOS, 1 mid-TNG) the builders ran out of names ;P. --WTRiker 23:24, 28 January 2007 (UTC) Link to Colonel Green in "In a Mirror, Darkly" I just read in the Christie's Star Trek auction catalogue about a planned link between Phillip Green, the mirror universe and World War III. Among the prop pieces auctioned off are six flags from "In a Mirror, Darkly" seen in the Enterprise's conference room. The flag depicted in the catalogue is the red one with the sword and globe from the opening credits and Gardner's office, the other five flags are not shown in the catalogue. The accompanying text by Mike and Denise Okuda mentions that one of the flags shows the Triskelion logo and, what I found truely interesting, another one shows the triangular emblem seen on Q's WWIII Post-atomic horror uniform, seen here Image:Q_21st_Soldier.jpg (which was re-used in Season 2 on Subcommander Taris Romulan uniform (Image:Taris subcommander.jpg) btw ;-)). Four of the flags were seen in the conference room and can be seen here, the whitish one behind T'Pol indeed shows the triangular logo. I don't recognize the other logos seen on the three flags, so if you know anything about those flags, please let the world know! ;-) Also: The accompanying text mentions that "It was hoped that emblem on the flag would also be used in the planned Colonel Green episode, thus tying Q's uniform into the character from "The Savage Curtain"." I think this would be great background info for the IaMD page, if possible, could you shed some more light on this (really cool) connection? --Jörg 21:36, 13 September 2006 (UTC) :Wish I could help but it seems you know far more about this topic than I do! Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 00:32, 14 September 2006 (UTC) Star Trek rank insignia Hi, I have two questions about them. First one is about the status of Lieutenant Commander/Lieutenant junior Grade ranks in ST:ENT era. Secondly does paramount maintain "copyrights" on these rank insignia. It is quite trivial for instance to draw TNG captain insignia (four circles) so I do not see a good legal case. Would it be possible to release the insignia with a free license? I am not certain who to contact about this so I though you could at the very least point me at the right direction. --Cool Cat 18:09, 4 December 2006 (UTC) star trek modeling future? any chance you could give us scale modelers a glimpse or hint as to what Star Trek models might be on the horizon? Also been frantically searching for reference shots of various starships seen in the Star Trek universe such as the Oberth and Sydney classes. --Babaganoosh 22:33, 16 January 2007 (UTC) Hello from a fan Hello Mdsussman. Lifelong Trek fan. Loved ENT (3rd and 4th seasons favorite) and VOY (and TNG and TOS and DS9, mind you and all movies {except #5think few people liked that one}). Couple questions: *1. Were you a Trek fan before you began writing for Trek? *2. Do you know of any upcoming Trek series for TV? *3. Any info on Trek XI? *4. If no to #1, are you now a fan? *5. What do you think of Memory Alpha? Thanks. --WTRiker 23:17, 28 January 2007 (UTC) :: 1. Yes 2.No 3. No. 4. See answer to question one 5. I only wish MA existed in 2000 when I first started writing for Voyager. It's a terrific resource (and fun to read). – Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:38, 24 February 2007 (UTC) : From another fan, thank you so much for all your work both on the shows and here on the wiki. Though a lifelong Trekker, only in the last few months have I been introduced to ST: Enterprise. Several of your episodes are among my favorites, with "Twilight" surpassing in scope, hope, and achievement just about every other single episode of all the Star Trek series. I also hope you'll be glad to know that I laughed so hard during the Mirror episodes that I actually cried. I'd be very excited to see you contributing to further Star Trek ventures, whether movies, a new series, or (fingers-crossed) a resurrection of ST: Enterprise. Coto/Sussman save the franchise! Thank you! - Keithustus 13:58, 21 February 2007 (UTC) :: Thanks for the kind words. Check out Glass Empires -- the first novella in the book is a sequel to the Enterprise Mirror Universe episodes (I wrote the story for the novella). – Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 01:38, 24 February 2007 (UTC) Retrofitted dorsal carrier Hi, first of all I feel a need to say I'm a big fan of your work, especially your role in the better parts of enterprise (e.g. season 4) However that's not why I'm posting, I do have a question :) I'm not sure how much you were involved in this, but it concerns a note that appears in Crewman Daniels database in . The note said " Retrofitted dorsal carrier, Design XRT-55D, Commission Date 3125". When I read the 32rd century date, I figured this might be an error, someone intending to put it in the 31th century, but mistakingly thinking that would mean a year starting with 31xx rather than 30xx (seems to be a quite common mistake). Two ships are seen in proximity to the note, a Vulcan command cruiser that looks too much like 22nd century vulcan ships to be from so far in the future, and the Time travel pod, which in dialogue is established to be from the 31st century. So my question would be if you could shed some more insights on these facts: * does the note refer to one of these two ships, or is it just something random in the chaos of the database * am I right about the date (I'm betting that if this is the case, the note is probably about the pod) thanks in advance, Capricorn 02:12, 7 August 2007 (UTC) :Shameful to admit, but I have no idea. – Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 15:22, 12 August 2007 (UTC) Still around Hi there. Are you still around, Mike? I read you were at Comic-Con... wish I coulda been there. Anyways, I hope you're just busy and we didn't scare you away. :) --From Andoria with Love 04:12, 11 August 2007 (UTC) :I drop by from time to time... like Q. :-) – Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 15:20, 12 August 2007 (UTC) Show biz question Hi. I am actually asking this but am generalizing for all ther readers: I have an idea for a TV show/movie. I have a network/studio in mind for producing this. How do I go about pitching my idea and fully protecting said idea? And for the networks, do I go to my local affiliate or do I have to contact the HQ and go to LA/NYC/etc.? Thanks. Rewatching ENT on SciFi. Love it. Can't wait till E2 and IAMD. Love those. --WTRiker 00:21, 10 October 2007 (UTC) :Thanks for the kind words. My suggestion (to you, or anyone) would be to write the script and then try to find an agent. Difficult/impossible to get a network or studio to hear a pitch from someone starting out, but they will read a script submitted by a reputable agent. Write an amazing script and the rest will take care of itself. Hope this helps. --Mike Sussman - VOY/ENT Writer-Producer 05:47, 10 October 2007 (UTC)